Improvement in spikes



GLW MGGILL.

SPIKE.

Patented Apr. 9, 1867.

grit-12h tans gaunt ffire.

GEORGE W. MoGILL, .OF WASHINGTON, DlS'lRlGT OF COLUMBIA.

Letters Patent No. 63,737, dated April 9, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPIKIBS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known. that I, GEORGE W. McGI LL, of Washington, inthc county of Washington, and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Split Spikes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

Myinvention consists in making a spike of a. single piece of metal, with two opposite shoulders near the point, and split from said shoulders into three prongs up to within a short distance of the head, the centre forming the body of the spikehnd the side portions the wings. These wings are shorter than the centre or body of the 'spike,-and are bevelled at their ends, each in a contrary direction. Whon the spikelis driven into the .wood it goes down perpendicularly, like any ordinary spike, until the points of thewi'n-gs 'str'ike'tliewood,

these wings, as above stated, being joined 'in the centre or body ofthe spike only fat;- its top o -flicad, and bevelledat their points in contrary directions from each other, separate, and follow the course ot'iflth'eir bevels horizontally from the centre, or spike proper, which goes down int) the wood perpendicularly,- thus securing the spike in the strongest possible manner.

I am aware that spikes have been made split up the centre with the points cttheir-shanks so b'evelled as to separate when driven into wood similarly to the wings ofthe spike herein described, but spikes so made depend entirely on the evenness of the grain of the wood into which they are driven for their security and position,

for if the grain on one side of the spike is even, and on the other side knotty, the side of the spike entering the knotty grain, on account of the greater resistance it meets with, will necessarily take a more abrupt curve than the otberlside, thus-throwing the spike out of its perpendicular.p.dsition,.whieh, as will readily be seen,jis

a fatal objection. lnwmy spike this objection docs not exist, for while i'ts 'wings are spreading the centre or body of the spike enterst-he wood perpendicularly and holds the entire spike' in its proper position independent of the wings, thus combining all the. qualities ofthe old. common spikcwith that of the split.

I will now proceed to describe-the accompanying drawings.

Figure represents a perspective view of the spike. A is the head,,B the centre or'body, G C the wings, D D the bevelled points. These points can be bevelled on a. curre or angle, and of any degree, or with points shaped-like the top quarter of a cone or quarter of a four-sided pyramid, as represented by the dotted line 41, but I prefer a curved angle, such as herein represented Figure 2 is a perspective view of the spike, representing the course oricurve taken by its wings when it is driven into the wood.

Figure 3 is a front view otthe same.

Figure 4 represents the spike with its prongs or wings bevelled from vv'th e -top of the split to their points, near which the b'evelbcc'omes more abrupt.

Figure 5 represents the spike with the splits wide. The points otftli'o prongs may also beso bevelled as to make them separateiinthesarn'plane from the body-of the spike,. asrepresented by the dotted lines E and E, in this figure. j p

I am aware that spikes have heretofore been made with their points split'into-three parts or prongs, and the side prongs sobevel'lcd as to spread or diverge on-being driven into the wood; but in all cases of this kind of which I am aware the centre prong has been made no longer than the. side prongs, and the splits have only been extended a short distance from the point. It is manifest that when the entire prong is no longer than the side prongs it will not so'efi'ectually tend to guide .the spike and keep it in a perpendicular position on being driven into the wood, a s'in the case of my spike, with'its centre prong extending a considerable distance below the bevelled side-wings. It is also manifest that when the split extends only a portion of the way up towards thehead from the point, leaving the upper portionlo'f the shank or body of the spike rindivided, the spike cannot 'be driven into the wood without first boring aholc in which to insert it. But in my spike I-extcnd the splits up towards the head as far as the spike is to be driven into the wood, which enables one to drive it into the wbod without boring.

I therefore disclaim such forms of spikes asI have above described and admitted to be old, but what I do claim, and desire to secure by LettersPateut, is-- 1. A spike split into three parts or prongs, the centre prong bcing longer than the side prongs, and said side prongs being so bevelled that on being driven into the wood theyi will apt-end and divsrgo from tho centre 7 prong in opposite directions, while the said; csntre prong goes down into the wood perpendiculm'ly, substantially as shown and described.

2. Aspike split into threop'arts'or prongs thtoughout the whole extent of the shank that is to be driven into the wood, with the side prongs bevelled, as desor'ibed, so that the spike manyv bsdrivon into the wood, am} the side prongs made to spread and diverge. without boring, snsst on'tinlly as described.

GEORGE McGILL; 

